Swept Away (#01 in Trouble In Texas Series)

I read something by Mary Conneally years ago, and decided she wasn't for me. I found the way she elevated her female characters by maligning the men in her story very disturbing, and veered away from her books for a long time. I'm glad I gave her another try, because that particular problem didn't seem to be an issue in Swept Away. It was easy to read, fun, and action packed, with delightful characters, delicious romance and a great introduction to the Trouble in Texas series. It was a 'light relief' book for holidays or distraction, rather then a faith-building book that drew you into the way God was working in the lives of characters you had come to know deeply and grown fond of. But if you like historical western comedy/romances, I'd recommend Swept Away as an easy read.

While this was a nice story, it never really gripped me. I found myself skipping pages, just wanting to get to the end to find out what happened. The story was interesting enough and the characters sweet but it didn't pull me in or make me really care about the characters or their lives. That said, if you're looking for an easy story to read and don't mind a bit of vengeancejustice (and characters singly focused on getting it), you'd probably like it. \\r\\n

Swept Away is fast paced and well written with strong characters and a good mix of action, humour and romance. Ruthy is feisty, hard-working and independent, while Luke is the kind of loyal ad honest Wild West hero everyone wants to read about. My main complaint is that the faith elements are pretty unobtrusive. My personal view is that this is a weakness, but I know some readers prefer low-key Christian content. \\r\\n\\r\\nSwept Away is a quick and entertaining read, perfect for long winter evenings or a day at the beach. It was good, but not outstanding. I thought the whole story (especially the attraction between Ruthy and Luke) moved too quickly and wasn't quite believable, but it will be interesting to see it develop further in future books. I also thought it focused too much on the external conflict, with too little insight into the inner motivations of the characters. \\r\\n\\r\\nIt is the first book in the new Trouble in Texas series, and those who have read and enjoyed Mary Connealy's earlier books will notice the references to Callie and the Kincaid Brides trilogy. I expect the future books in the series will chronicle the adventures and romances of the other four Regulators. \\r\\n\\r\\nThanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

It's been a while since I read a Mary Connealy book and I've missed the action, romance and humor that is her trademark. I really enjoyed getting sucked into the action and watching the humorous antics of everyone involved. Even when things get a little dramatic, there's the wry humor buried there. Ruthy is a very funny character and really, she's pulling Luke along for the ride, even though he thinks it's the other way around. \\r\\n\\r\\nMary, you might have sparked my interest back into western historical fiction. . . that's hard since I'm waist deep into contemporary suspense romance fiction. . . but I'm feeling the pull to pick up another western. . . it might just be your next book in this series. . . which looks great by the way!\\r\\n\\r\\nSo if you're wanting action, romance and humor this is the book for you.